Ring Removal
by LilyGhost
Summary: Stephanie wakes to find Ranger in her bedroom with a clear objective on his mind.


**Everyone and everything familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

Something hard dragged along my cheek as I rolled over one more time, trying to find a comfy position that could help me finally fall asleep. Fat lot of good it did me, though. A restful, full night sleep has been FTA ever since I made a few decisions that will likely haunt me for the rest of my life, but not for the reasons I thought.

I sighed loudly in frustration. Clearly sleep is out of the question, because I'm debating it rather than actually doing it. That and my left cheek now feels as irritated as the rest of me. I flopped onto my back, brought my hand up to it, and was reminded all over again of the events that led up to the excruciatingly uncomfortable confession I'd made this morning.

It was a one-carat diamond on my left hand that had disturbed what had been the closest thing to rest I've had since the talk of marriage turned serious. I can't believe I'm still wearing a freakin' engagement ring! Jeez ... what a fucking mess I've made of my life this time. It was that moment when the neck-tingling finally registered.

" _Ranger?_ " I asked, turning my head towards the club chair hidden in the darkest corner of my bedroom.

He didn't answer me, but I heard the material of the chair and his windbreaker crinkle as he stood up. It's hard to believe, but I must've actually fallen asleep at some point for him to have snuck into my apartment, then into my room, without me seeing or hearing him.

I know exactly what he's doing here, too. Although there's only a hint of moonlight peeking through the sides of the shades in my otherwise pitch-black room, he found the bed like it was hooked up to a GPS unit.

"Take it off," he ordered, his big muscled body looming ominously over me.

I tried to sit up so I wouldn't feel like I was at such a disadvantage, but he stopped the movement by leaning forward and putting a hand on either side of my head on the pillow. My face was trapped between his wrists, making me unable to turn away from him.

"What?" I asked, feeling a little nervous about his current mood.

"Did you or did you not end your engagement with Morelli?"

"I ..."

"Yes or no, Babe."

"Yes ... I did."

His face moved even closer to mine. "Take it off," he said again.

For a second, I actually thought he was talking about the t-shirt I'd worn to bed, but then my brain finally connected the diamond dots.

" _The ring?_ "

"Yes. It didn't belong on you when he first gave it to you. It sure as hell doesn't belong on you now."

Ranger doesn't usually express emotion, but he's definitely _emoting_ now. We never really got around to discussing what would happen with us if Joe was no longer a factor. Looks like that conversation is starting now, but he didn't give me time to think about what I really want to happen here.

He pulled away from me, picked up my left hand, and threw the single solitaire across the room after sliding it off my ring finger. I heard it bounce off my closet door and land somewhere on the carpet nearby.

"Ranger ..." I started to say, but stopped ... because really what _could_ I say?

He went back to the looming over me thing for a few beats, then he bent his head all the way down until the tips of our noses were touching.

"If you ever say 'yes' to a man other than me again, you won't like what I do about it."

I put both hands on his shoulders and shoved, shooting into a sitting position when he decided to let me move him.

" _Hey!_ You've never given me the possibility of a yes to _anything_. What was I supposed to do, just wait around until you decide you want me again?"

He wasn't at all intimidated by the sudden anger crackling around me, my bitchy tone, or the look he probably couldn't even see me giving him. Batman obviously decided that words weren't working for us, so he moved onto action. He shrugged out of his jacket and pulled his t-shirt over his head with one hand.

I started scooting myself backwards towards the opposite side of the bed, then put a palm flat to the warm, muscled, mocha chest when he came after me.

"We are _not_ having anger sex," I stated, with far more conviction than I felt.

He pushed my hand away and grabbed the sheet I had covering me. "We aren't angry at each other anymore ..."

"Speak for yourself."

"You aren't mad at me, Babe. You're pissed at yourself for letting this 'situation' get this far."

I was debating how to respond to that, and how I could punch him without breaking any of the bones in my hand in the process. Being the opportunistic man he is, Ranger used that moment to unbuckle, unzip, and ditch his boots, pants, and socks before sliding into my bed with me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, trying to hold onto my annoyance that he seemed to believe that I'm the only one responsible for everything that has gone on between the three of us.

 _Shit_. I _am_ the reason my relationship with Joe lasted as long as it did. I held onto something familiar yet destructive despite knowing I was only partially invested in it. Truth is, I was way more interested in _Ranger's someday_ than _Morelli's forever._

"I'm spending the night with you, Babe."

"Oh really? What if I don't want you to?"

Yeah, right. Like I could ever kick a naked Ranger out of my bed.

"You do. And I don't plan on leaving until we both go to work in the morning. You haven't forgotten that you told Morelli you couldn't go through with marrying him because you love me."

"Do you have my parents' porch bugged now?"

Since that's where that unfortunate conversation took place. My mother is still ironing and most likely also stress-tippling. Joe had been so pissed at me, and at life in general, he stormed off before I could give him his ring back. And I've been too exhausted and distracted to really think of the ring at all.

"No. But your neighbor had an interesting conversation with Vince earlier today at the bakery, when she recognized him as one of your 'bodyguard friends'."

"Wait ... stop right there. One of _your_ men was at Tasty Pastry?"

"He got called in to cover Woody's shift and it was the closest place to him at the time that served decent coffee in his opinion."

"So I'm to blame for saying 'Yes' to Joe, and you're the reason I eventually said 'No' to him. Now what? You probably figured out a long time ago that I love you, so what's different?"

"Things change and so do feelings."

"Trust me, feelings _don't_ change ... otherwise I'd be up to my eyeballs in wedding plans right now."

He ran his fingers through my messy curls and made me look at him. "I wouldn't have let you do it," he admitted. "You love me in a way you've never loved him."

"That shows just how screwed up I am. I always want what I can't have instead of what's right in front of me."

"You're not screwed up, Babe. We've both made mistakes, but I'm all yours if you want me. And I _am_ right here in front of you. I needed you to end it on your own, but I was fully prepared to end him if you didn't."

I tried to see his expression, but his unfairly perfect face appeared expressionless.

"You were being completely serious about me only saying yes to you, weren't you?" I asked him.

"I was and I am. I love you, Steph."

"I got that. Your feelings haven't changed there, but what about when it comes to an actual relationship?"

"I'm willing if you are."

"And if I'm not ready for that yet?"

"Then I'll keep showing up in your room at night, and I'll pick off any man you speak to during the day, until you are."

He tipped my head back into the space between the wall and my pillow so his lips could skim the sensitive skin of my throat.

"That's not really a good plan," I told him. "How are we supposed to see what develops between us if you go and get yourself arrested?"

"They'd have to have proof that I'm the shooter in order to arrest me. And I don't leave evidence behind."

He had me there. "So ... we're a couple now?"

"No, Stephanie, we're a couple _for life_."

He caught my smile in his mouth as he covered my body with his. After hearing that, I couldn't help but open up to him in every possible way I could.


End file.
